Mountains

July 2010

Mt. Kenya Africa- Kelly and Craig were joined by film-maker students participating in Serac Adventure Film School to climb to the Batian, the tallest point on Mt. Kenya. Over the course of 7 days, Michael Brown, three time national Emmy Award winner, lead his students through the film making process capturing the spirit of Kelly’s climb and the issue of organ donation, mentoring the story-telling process of capturing each student’s fresh perspective. The result, a story soulfully captured by Evan Grimm in "The Heart of Batian".

August 2009

Grand Traverse (10 summits), Grand Teton, Moose, Wy, USA - For the Grand Teton, Kelly and Craig were joined by six Cardiac Rehab nurses from Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, climbing as role models for their own patients by while championing organ donation. The theme: Stand On the Grand for Organ Donation. Kelly and Craig went on to climb the surrounding 9 peaks, famously known as the Grand Traverse.

June 2008

Half Dome, Yosemite, Regular Northwest Face – Kelly and Craig scaled the face of iconic wall, greeted at the summit by over 150 supporters, all wearing red-t-shirts, standing in the formation of a Heart. To capture the true essence of the message, The "Human Heart Supporters" were photographed from above documenting the Heart on Half Dome.

February 2007

Cajon de Arenales, Argentina- Craig and Kelly explored, identified, and made a first ascent on a new route and peak that had never been climbed in the Cajon de Arenales Region of Argentina. The objective behind this climb was a fitting tribute to the scientists and medical professionals who have made profound changes by venturing into the unknown in search of better treatments. Their new Peak has officially been dubbed Montaña de la Reflexión (Reflection Mountain), and their new route is now called Corazón Encantado, Charmed Heart.

September 2005

Muir Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite, CA- Straight through the Heart. With a sheer vertical exposure of 3,000 feet, El Capitan is one of the most famous "Big Wall" rock climbs in the world, and was specifically chosen due to a natural “heart shaped” formation on the Southwest face. Their goals were realized in what became one of the most visually symbolic donor messages when they climbed up and through the enormous granite “heart”.

January 2005

Mt. Aspiring National Park , New Zealand. Aspiring a movement and participation in organ donation, Mt. Aspiring was chosen in hopes of raising awareness to the low organ donor rates in New Zealand. However, the season coincided with one of the coldest and most precipitous Kiwi Summers in over 40 years making for dangerous conditions, and instead, Mt. Rolling Pin, an alternate glacier was climbed.

August 2003

Matterhorn, Zermatt – Switzerland- This mountain was chosen for personal reasons. First, just before Kelly’s diagnosis, Craig and Kelly had been traveling through Switzerland hiking in the shadow of the Matterhorn looking up at the majestic peak as being somewhat unattainable. Secondly, after Kelly was initially diagnosed and airlifted from an Orange County Californiahospital to Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, the helicopter pilot banked over the Matterhorn “replica” at Disneyland. Standing on the summit was a full circle, a poignant turning point between Kelly’s past and her future.

October 2001

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania - Africa Kelly climbed to "Roof of Africa", the top of the tallest mountain in the continent of Africa, one of the world’s seven summits, 19,340-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This mountain was chosen to recognize the historic medical milestone and technological advances since the first heart transplant took place in South Africa back in 1967.

July 1998

Mount Fuji, Japan- Kelly hiked Japan’s highest and most sacred peak, Mt. Fuji, in celebration of a new law that would legalize heart transplantation. Craig and Kelly sought to help lift the existing cultural veil towards heart transplantation, providing hope for those in need.

September 1997

Mt. Whitney, California, USA- Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the Continental U.S., standing at an elevation of 14,496’. Kelly is the only person to have hiked the mountain with two different hearts.